Tales of Rizzoli and Isles
by loneranger67
Summary: A collection of coffee break one shots, looking at the day to day lives of Jane and Maura...unlikely to be M rated (but watch out just in case) Gentle, short and sweet...
1. Chapter 1

Bed and Breakfast

After the days - no, actually the _weeks_ since they've really spent any quality time together - Maura waits for Jane to come home. She potters in the kitchen, watches some television - Jane having introduced her to the delights of The Shopping Channel, and re-runs of The Antiques Roadshow. Hart to Hart and Will and Grace have also become firm favourites (though she'd never admit that to her mother.)

Even after years of living together, Maura finds she can't truly settle until she knows Jane is back safely. When she does go to bed, unless she herself is exhausted, she'll read, and doze, but not truly sleep, not until Jane is home and cuddling into her.

Jane is exactly the same if Maura is ever away from home - it doesn't feel right not breathing her in as she falls into a gentle slumber.

Maura understands the demands of Jane's career, and would never dream of asking her to slow down, or take fewer risks, because she knows that if Jane loses focus just once, in thinking of Maura being left alone, rather than of herself and the immediate situation, she would lose those vital few decision making seconds. With a weapon aimed at her, those seconds would make all the difference.

Maura doesn't tell her that she worries, but of course Jane knows, and while she loves having someone at home to care about her - something that had once been just a pipe dream - she also hates the worry her vocation causes Maura.

'Home'

Until fate had brought them into each others lives five years ago they'd never really known or understood the meaning of 'home' - not like it is now anyway.

Home to Jane had been an empty apartment, with a fridge full of beer and very little else, and a scruffy little dog for company. Socialising was either a late one at The Robber with Frost or Korsak, or a late night walk around the block for Jo to do her business.

Maybe there'd be a nod to a neighbour as they put the trash out, but mostly, it was just back to the soulless apartment for a shower, then reheat some of Ma's lasagne and watch the game until her eyes became so heavy she'd drop off on the couch. Sometimes Frankie or Tommy would drop by to watch the game with her, and there was the regular family dinner at her Ma's house, but mostly it was just Jane and Jo.

Occasionally she would bravely venture out on a date, sometimes after accepting the offer directly, but often under duress from her 'Grandma in waiting' - her mother, Angela.

The majority of these dates would invariably end in one of the following ways -

1) A peck on the cheek and an 'I'll call you' (which she never did)

2) Another few dates until she stands him up a couple of times because she was busy chasing a suspect halfway around Boston and couldn't just stop to let him know. (not the most conducive way of forming a lasting relationship), or

3) Very occasionally, a one night stand, when she just needed to feel the heat and contact of a body lying next to her (and the scruffy little dog just wasn't gonna cut it.)

Of course Jane hadn't realised by this point that her romantic future lay with a woman. But, everything that had gone before had made her what she was now, and she was quickly accepting of the feelings she was developing for Maura - they didn't freak her out at all, the attraction was instant and Jane knew that this was the 'real deal'.

She never felt like this about anyone when she was a teenager, but boy her hormones were making up for it now.

Her only 'regret' was that she hadn't met Maura sooner.

Before Maura, Jane often didn't make it to bed at night simply because she was tired of sleeping alone - the empty bed confirmed her status that she was still single, and likely to be so for the foreseeable future.

Thank goodness she wasn't on social media, she'd never post a thing.

As much as she told her mother she was happy to be single until the right one came along, and that the demands of the job and the lifestyle that goes with it really don't make for relationship heaven, she knew she was lying to herself as well.

She just had no idea where to find someone who understood that 90% of the time the job wasn't nine to five, punch in and punch out and then home to make dinner and read to the kids - a lot of the time it was brutal, dangerous, and exhausting.

But Maura understood.

As far as Jane was concerned, when Maura arrived at the Crime Lab five years ago it was as if someone had imported wholesale sunshine into BPD. Every day seemed a thousand watts brighter, and every visit to the lab or to a crime scene was no longer such a depressing part of the job.

Suddenly the air seemed thinner whenever she chatted with the new Medical Examiner, as if she was at altitude and she'd feel a little light headed and giddy. The very fact that she was willingly chatting with someone, and not just making small talk was in itself a big deal...and one her colleagues noticed too. As they got to know Maura they realised the same was true of her.

And so it was that very soon she and Maura realised there was far more to this relationship than just being 'friends', although now actually _having_ a best friend was enough to make them both feel like teenagers again.

For Maura, who had realised and happily accepted long ago that she was attracted to both men and women, after too many relationships that just didn't seem to work out, she realised that Jane was the someone she'd left a space for in her heart...she just fitted so perfectly.

Often loud, sometimes volatile and with a swagger and an apparent sense of confidence that seemed to command respect, Jane Rizzoli was the shade to Maura's sun - the Yin to her Yang.

In Jane, Maura had found someone who was more than comfortable with her apparent lack of knowledge of popular culture, and actually found it quite endearing. Maura certainly never felt the frustrating inadequacy that she'd suffered as a child and in previous relationships. Now she was only subjected to warm hearted banter from Jane and the rest of the Rizzolis- it was never malicious.

Though they had very different upbringings and lifestyles, there was never any sense of rivalry, they just seemed to compliment each other perfectly and immediately 'clicked'.

And sometimes, even excited and eager geniuses know it's best not to try and explain the science of attraction, rather to just keep on experimenting and enjoy comparing the results.

~0~

Their first 'official' date was after a few weeks of dancing around each other and some shameless flirting from a bold and over confident Jane, as she taught Maura how to play pool.

As she draped herself across Maura's back to 'help her get her elbow cocked at the right angle to make the shot' she'd breathe in that delicious perfume and feel the heat emanating from her willing pupil.

And as for the rear view of Maura leaning over the table for those trickier shots...oh yes, life for - and _with_ \- Jane Rizzoli was never going to be the same again.

That first date was memorable in many ways - not least for Jane slipping on the icy sidewalk (in unsuitably high heels) before they'd even reached the restaurant and badly spraining her ankle.

After hobbling back to the car, the rest of the 'date' was spent in the Emergency Room, and then on to Dr Isles' place for some very _personal_ intensive care...and the memory of _that_ would live on for eternity.

'Status update - Jane Rizzoli is now in a relationship'

Two years later they were married in a quiet ceremony at City Hall, and then went on to Santorini for their honeymoon. It was a compromise on both sides - a quiet wedding for Jane, a dream honeymoon for Maura.

Maura heard the front door being closed quietly, and the familiar muffled 'plunk' as Jane put her house keys in the bowl on the hallstand. Next it was the boots being placed 'neatly' in the hallway closet. (Maura will make them more neat in the morning) and then the jacket is hung up.

It's after midnight and she knows that Jane will strip off before she gets to the bedroom and then go and quickly shower before coming to bed so she doesn't disturb the 'sleeping' Maura - it's the same predictable, yet comforting ritual every time she's late home.

Tonight is no different.

A few minutes later and Jane is big spoon to Maura's little one and all is right with the world again.

Tomorrow is Saturday and they have the whole weekend to themselves, with their family instructed that unless Boston is invaded by aliens overnight they are not to be disturbed.

"How would you like breakfast in bed tomorrow?" Jane asked a yawning Maura. She finished her long, drawn out yawn and replied while smiling to herself.

"I should enjoy that very much Jane...and maybe afterwards we can get ourselves some food..." she said sleepily, but suggestively and the meaning was clear.

Jane smiled and pulled Maura closer.

Oh how she loved lazy weekends with Maura.

~0~


	2. A House by any other Name

'A house, by any other name...'

~0~

Jane Rizzoli - Homicide Detective, First Grade, with almost fifteen years of experience under her belt, was rarely outfoxed. Be it a suspect who was sure he'd gotten away with murder, or an optimistic car shop owner who thought he could hike the price up for so called 'essential repairs', she pretty much always came out victorious.

In the short time since she'd officially moved in to Maura's house she'd already conquered the new-fangled plumbing system, and seamlessly repaired the broken dining chair leg - for goodness sake she'd even fathomed the inner workings of Maura's latest hi-tech gadget - the fancy German coffee maker.

But this? _This_ was about to defeat Jane...and she _really_ didn't like admitting defeat.

'Okay Rizzoli, think about it' she said to herself, 'it's a _utensil_...it lives with all the _other_ utensils...in the utensils drawer...making _all_ those other little utensils happy just by its humble presence...'

She was standing at the counter in the kitchen, brandishing the apparently orphaned potato peeler like it was a weapon - and using it to emphasise the word _'utensil'_ every time she said it...but she _still_ had no frickin' idea where it might live.

She'd tried every possible drawer and cubby hole, but none of them seemed to fit - wherever she put that peeler it just looked wrong.

And honestly, would Maura even care where Jane put it? She surely couldn't be expected to know the exact location of every single item so soon after moving in.

But, to Jane it was the principle of the thing, and she didn't want to mess up Maura's kitchen 'filing' system - she was a detective after all, and she'd spent plenty of time in Maura's kitchen detecting before now.

This was yet another fascinating insight into Maura's 'logical', yet often baffling mind.

Jane sighed and frowned and leaned back against the cooker as she pondered where she'd _really_ like to stick the damned peeler... surely it belonged with the 'everyday' utensils - the garlic crusher, the can opener...the pizza cutter? It was just a humble veggie peeler after all.

She sighed again. At her apartment it really wasn't an issue where she kept things - she only had limited space to play with, so she limited the things that filled the space. And most of the utensils, quite handily, actually lived in a container marked 'Utensils'.

But of course this wasn't her apartment, it was their home now, and Maura already had everything she needed, plus plenty that she didn't. Most of Jane's things were in storage until she figured out what to do with them.

Maura seemed to have endless cupboards and drawers and they were all organised so well.

For example, knives were stored in blocks, in order of not only size, but of function - chopping, paring, cleaver - but glasses were displayed in order of function, and _then_ of size.

It was all very confusing for someone who only used two kinds of glass - wine and highball.

Jane was almost ready to admit defeat and just shove the damned peeler in _any_ old drawer when Maura suddenly appeared in the kitchen and a surprised Jane guiltily dropped the peeler in the nearest receptacle...the fruit bowl.

'I _wish_ you'd use the dishwasher instead of doing it by hand' Maura said to an innocent looking Jane, as she leaned in and gave her a kiss. 'It _is_ what it was designed for, and it'll save you getting dishpan hands.'

She took Jane's rough hands in hers and gave them a gentle massage.

Leaning over to get some hand cream that she kept by the drainer she noticed the now conspicuous peeler in the fruit bowl. Shaking her head she casually put it away in one of the drawers that not two minutes earlier Jane had dismissed as a likely home for a peeler.

Jane rolled her eyes and smiled sweetly at Maura who was now gently rubbing some Aloe Vera cream into her new housemate's hands.

 _'Okay...so it's not in the 'everyday' utensils' drawer...'_ she thought to herself for future reference.

"You know Maur, by the time you've rinsed the plates and loaded it and measured out the powder and all that other stuff I could've washed and dried it all myself anyway" Jane replied huffily. "Besides, I like to do my bit, it's only fair, especially if you've cooked" she added.

Maura sighed at Jane's stubbornness.

"Well, thank you anyway for putting it all away." Maura said as the last of the cream melted away into Jane's hands. 'There, all soft again.'

She put the cream back in its correct spot and made her way to the couch. As she sat down she smiled and waited as she watched Jane potter in the kitchen - she knew what she was going to ask.

"I'm gonna make some coffee, you want some?" Jane casually asked Maura, who gave herself a high five for making an accurate guess, albeit educated.

Since Jane moved in, each night that Maura had cooked, Jane had insisted on washing up and Maura would then administer the hand cream.

Next Jane would ask if Maura would like some coffee and she'd prepare the coffee maker for launch.

These had already become little rituals, and it had only been a little over two weeks.

Maura asked for herbal tea for a change which meant that Jane could make herself some instant coffee (because that fancy, hi-tech coffee machine actually took longer to make one cup of coffee than it did to pick, pack, deliver and then grind the beans personally.)

~0~

When the drinks were ready, Jane finally settled to the right of Maura on the couch and they watched television in a comfortable silence.

Castle was on - and it was an unwritten law that neither of them spoke during Castle.

As Jane was admiring how good Beckett looked in those jeans, and mentally picking holes in the shows procedural inaccuracies, Maura was preoccupied with Jane's apparent need to keep busy since moving in...the fixing things, the DIY, the always being on the go and not seeming to settle, the constant tidying up.

In fact she was surprised just how neat and tidy Jane had become, she didn't remember her being that much of a neat freak at her apartment - in fact she was quite the opposite. It was almost as if Jane didn't dare put anything out of place...

Maura must have been making some pretty odd faces as she sat pondering because Jane was watching her with wrapt fascination, but even when frowning she was still the most beautiful thing Jane had ever seen.

Maura waited until the next ad break to ask Jane something.

"Jane, are you sure you're comfortable here?" she asked as she turned the volume down.

Jane shifted around in her seat..

"Well, my old couch was pretty good for its age, but yes, it's comfortable..." she replied. "Why do you ask?"

"Oh, no reason...ooh, it's back.." she said as she turned the volume up. "I think I know who dunnit..."

Of course, by 'comfortable', Maura hadn't meant the couch, but she'd find another way in...and soon.

They spent the rest of the evening snuggled up together watching TV until Jane started to nod off and they eventually turned in for the night.

~0~

A few days later and the weekend was finally upon them, and apart from some paperwork at BPD that needed clearing, they had the luxury of no real plans.

After a lovely lie in and a late breakfast, which was really brunch, Maura suggested they both take Jo out for her constitutional, and then maybe go out for a drive. The summer was drawing to an end and there may not be many more nice days like this.

"Now that we're living together we have a joint responsibility for Jo...I like to think that she's _ours_ now, not just yours," Maura said as they walked Jo around the block. The little dog seemed to have a few extra springs in her step since she and Jane moved in with Maura - she was certainly enjoying all the extra attention.

"Yeah, I think she loves the extra space, and the yard too, she can run around outside and not get under anyone's feet...I think she'd almost forgotten what fresh air was like, being cooped up in the apartment so much." Jane said as she waited while Jo sniffed at yet another tree.

"Yes, she does seem happy...and Bass is more used to her now as well." Maura replied.

"Yeah, you know, I think he's really starting to come out of his shell now.." Jane quipped, and then chuckled at the gag for good measure.

Maura smiled - even _she_ got that one.

An hour or so later, after walking back to the house and dropping Jo off, they were out for a drive around the more scenic areas of Boston. Fall was just beginning to turn the leaves yellow - in a few weeks they'd be a palette of burnt oranges and fiery reds before they fell and carpeted the streets and parks. This time of year gave the whole area an almost chocolate box appearance - even more so in the coming months with the arrival of the snow.

"Some of these old houses really are quite lovely" Maura said as she slowed the car a little to enjoy the view. "Would you like to live somewhere like this if you had the chance?" she asked Jane.

"Yeah, they sure are pretty, but they need an awful lot of maintenance and repairs...some of the plumbing in these old places goes back to the founding fathers..." she joked. "Besides, I love your place..." Maura shot her a sideways glance and Jane realised her error.

She quickly corrected herself "I mean _our_ place...sorry" she said. "It's just gonna take me a while to get used to calling it ours I guess..." she smiled sheepishly and continued admiring the view as they drove.

After a few minutes they were in a more industrial looking area, which Jane recognised as the place she had all her things from the apartment stored.

Maura pulled in, and found a parking spot as a confused Jane looked on.

Maura didn't wait for Jane to ask why they had stopped there.

"Jane, as much as I know you love us living together, the house has always been _my_ house, and when you'd stay over it was 'staying over at mine'...it's never been ours." she said. Jane was going to interrupt but Maura stopped her.

"We both need our house to feel like our _home_...and as I don't think we have any plans to buy a new house _just_ yet, then we should at least make the one we live in more like our home for you in particular, but for both of us...so, Frankie is in that truck over there and he'll take whatever you want back to Beacon Hill for us..." she smiled as Jane spotted Frankie getting out of the cab.

Jane waved at her little brother and he responded with a self conscious little wave back.

"Maura you didn't have to do..." Maura cut her off.

"Yes, I did...I realised that you were feeling conspicuous in your own home, like you daren't touch anything or make a mess...well that's no way to settle in is it? I want us _both_ to happy and comfortable there, but with hardly any of your stuff there, well...we can't stamp your personality on the place to make it a home can we?" and she smiled the sweetest smile that Jane had ever seen and gave thanks again to whoever sent this beautiful woman her way.

She smiled and gave Maura a big hug. "Thank you." she said and gave Maura a kiss of not too short a length.

Frankie cleared his throat as he appeared next to them.

"Okay you two, that's enough PDA's until you're alone later alright?!" he joked, and the two women pulled apart. Frankie then went on ahead to the storage units.

"Oh, one more thing Jane." Maura said, "we do need to make one more stop before we head home." she said mysteriously.

"We do?" asked Jane "Okay...where this time?"

"To a bedroom furnishers...we need to get ourselves a bed, one that's new to _both_ of us...so it really is _ours_..." she smiled.

Jane nodded in approval. "That's an excellent idea...and some new bedclothes too okay?" she asked.

"Definitely" replied Maura.

"Good" said Jane as they walked hand in hand following Frankie.

Maura was excitedly thinking about all the new furnishings they could get for their 'new' home...

Jane was excitedly thinking about christening that new bed...

~0~


End file.
